Sunday, June 04, 2006

Mid-term Elections, Divisive Issues.....and Sex

The President fires a salvo on.....? Same sex marriage

The bigots will lap it up. It was expected to happen. President Bush played to his core support groups. He will get some dividends. But his call for Constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage is a cynical political ploy which deceives no one. Peter Baker in the Post: "President Bush plans to wade back into the emotional debate over same-sex marriage for the first time in his second term beginning today with a pair of speeches pressing the Senate to approve a constitutional amendment next week defining marriage as the union of a man and woman."

But critics said the only reason Bush and Frist are reviving the issue is for election-year pandering to conservative voters, who, polls show, have grown disaffected with the president for various reasons.

"They understand that they are in deep trouble and they need to do anything they can to appease their people, which is the right-wing base," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization. "This is an age-old political tactic, which is when everything is falling down around you -- as it is for the administration -- you go for your base."

And what is VP Cheney going to say if he is questioned about this issue ? He will try to waffle, dodge it. However, during a campaign speech in Iowa in August 2004, the vice president who has a "openly lesbian" daughter, stated: ".....the issue of legalising gay unions should be settled by individual states rather than by Washington." (The BBC)

This move was so typical of Bush that it failed to cause waves. But there will be more moral values issues coming down from the White House. He is president of God's Own Party and must battle on behalf of besieged fellow devouts. Holier than thou ? I have my doubts.

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Chastity Belt, Anyone ?

On a somewhat related subject, an article that I had missed when it first appeared in the Post on May 16th, Virginity Pledges Can't Be Taken on Faith, made me chuckle. The clean, pure Americans tirelessly working to prevent young boys and girls from having sex. I say bring back the chastity belt; virginity pledges are not doing much good.